Creeping China

China’s growing geopolitical heft is emboldening its territorial creep in Asia. President Xi Jinping’s promise of national greatness – embodied in the catchphrase “China dream” – is tied as much to achieving regional hegemony as to internal progress.

NEW DELHI – China’s growing geopolitical heft is emboldening its territorial creep in Asia. After laying claim to 80% of the South China Sea, it has just established a so-called air defense identification zone in the East China Sea, raising the odds of armed conflict with Japan and threatening the principle of freedom of navigation of the seas and skies. Meanwhile, the People’s Republic continues to nibble furtively at territory across the long, disputed Himalayan border with India.

Few seem to fathom the logic behind China’s readiness to take on several neighbors simultaneously. China is seeking to alter the status quo gradually as part of a high-stakes effort to extend its control to strategic areas and resources. President Xi Jinping’s promise of national greatness – embodied in the catchphrase “China dream” – is tied as much to achieving regional hegemony as to internal progress.

China’s approach reflects what the Chinese general Zhang Zhaozhong this year called a “cabbage” strategy: assert a territorial claim and gradually surround the area with multiple layers of security, thus denying access to a rival. The strategy relies on a steady progression of steps to outwit opponents and create new facts on the ground.

In 1962 war China declared unilateral ceasefire and withdrawn apparently not being able to hold/service the area occupied. They built huge economy based on manufacturing and assimilated technology through associating R&D teams with them. upgraded military technology with alarming pace. India meanwhile paid no head to the impeding danger and believed in Neharuian ideology that Chine will never attack India, even though many security experts like Bharat Verma were making huge noise about, they were summarily rejected. India only rely in world opinion rather than building its own military strength. India will have no option but to pay a price for it and anyway India never minded in loosing territories to external aggression why bother about it. It will live happily with whatever is left to it mercifully. There no political party showing any interest in security or military matters in the election year, all are more interested in drawing attention of people seeking free water and electricity.

The Communism is out of sight after the Cold War ending. This gave Chinese communist a great opportunities to grab juicy fruit from free world by trading. The China became the world richest country after US fallen gradually. 30 years ago, Chinese want to export Communism revolution to Asia but fail. Now they use confucian orthodoxy to repackage communism under "China Dream" to expanding again looks work. Taiwan is moving closer to China, Korea the same. Japan and Phillipine shaking by PLA threaten. The all would ruling by Communism soon

a seminal article.it will remain as a fine crack on recent Chinese foreign policy encryption. when i read it,i was totally mesmerized and spellbound.seems like a novella sequel to Dan brown`s ``the Da-Vinci Code``.

The author, once again excels in analysing Chinese "way". But when judging its validities, the author must compare it one for one against her mighty and overbearing opponent- US. While US has consumed itself to cinders, China is in delivering phase. So let the world enjoy it before China, if and whenever reaches that stage. All the countries the author lists as threatened directly are no minnows and can look after themselves better and keep a good balance in power- and unlike US, China has historical wisdom to know it.

There is a reason for other articles to be partial. China's strategy is also partial, bacause every rival is different. There is no holistic approach, so that's why this article is not deep enough to cover the issue.

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